Thread pulling tool



May 28, 1957 E. M. FRANKLIN THREAD PULLING TOOL.

Filed July 27, 1955 29 FIG. 3

\ EDNA M; FRANKLIN INYENTOR.

A TTORNEY United States Patent THREAD PULLING TOOL Edna M. Franklin, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application July 27, 1955, Serial No. 524,681

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-4) The present invention relates generally to the dress making or tailoring art, and more particularly to a unitary device for cutting fabric and threads and by which seam threads may be manually withdrawn from the goods.

The present invention is an improvement of a Patent No. 2,504,676 granted to me by the United States Patent Olfice on April 18, 1950.

None of the devices as shown in the prior art, nor all of them combined, with which I am familiar, which are intended'for use in withdrawing seam threads from fabrics, make any provision for a cutting operation to be performed while ripping out and removing unwanted threads, and none suggest the possibility of its being so done. Since most of the thread pulling implements are formed with blunt non-cutting edges the seamstress must lay the thread pulling tool aside and obtain a pair of scissors when necessary and adapt her hands to them for use, and again reverse this procedure to get back to the thread pulling. While this seems a simple operation it is, at least, inconvenient and sometimes time consuming, particularly when the scissors may have been mislaid or may be temporarily hidden from view by the folds of the goods being worked on.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a single hand tool which may be used as a pair of scissors and also simultaneously as a thread pulling tool.

Other important objects are to provide a hand tool of this class which is easy to use, simple in its operation, and positive in its cutting and thread gripping and thread pulling function.

Another object is to provide a tool for these purposes which may be manufactured at a cost considerably less than the combined cost of the two implements now used to perform the same functions.

Further obejcts are to provide a tool which is small, light in weight and which has few moving parts to become worn or to get out of order.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a hand tool having a pair of elongated members pivotally connected intermediate their ends in sliding over-lapping relation to each other and having cooperating handles at one end of the members. The body members, respectively, integrally carry two elongated blade members opposite the handles, each having a sharpened cooperating shearing edge intermediate their ends and ending in a blunt edged non-cutting tip portion. One of the tip portions has a sharpened point. A boss projects outwardly from the surface of the blade adjacent the sharpened point. The surface of the boss is provided with a recess for nesting the ball of the operators thumb therein. The tip portion of the other blade has a blunt and extending beyond the sharpened point of the first mentioned blade.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device with its Patented May 28, 1957 blades in closed position, the dotted lines illustrating the open position of the blades, and also depicting, in dotted lines, a thread engaged by the non-cutting tips of the two I blades;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational edge view of the tool with the blades in closed position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top view of the non-cutting tip portions of the blades; and

Figures 4 and 5 are transverse vertical sectional views taken substantially along the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

Referring to Fig. 1 the reference character A indicates, as a whole, an elongated element which constitutes the bottom body member of the device. The bottom member A has a comparatively small rod-like handle portion 6 formed into a looped handle or finger grip 8 at its rear end. The forward end of the handle portion 6 is substantially rectangular in cross-sectional area and ends in a rearwardly facing abrupt vertical shoulder 10, and therebeyond, in a forwardly direction, there extends a thinner, vertically tapered blade portion 12, the side edges. of which also taper in a forward direction. The extreme forward end of the blade portion terminates in a rounded or blunt tip 14. The upper surface of theblade portion 12 is transversely flat and has a left hand vertical sharpened shearing edge 16, viewed from the rear, terminating forwardly in a dull non-cutting edge 18 (Fig. 3) adjacent the point 14. Longitudinally the blade 12 is arcuately curved downwardly as is illustrated best in Fig. 2.

The reference character B indicates, as a whole, an elongated element which constitutes the top body member of the device. The top member B also has a compara tively small rod-like handle portion 20 which is similar to the handle portion 6 of the member A, and which is formed rearwardly into a looped handle or finger grip 22 in co-operation with the handle grip 8. The forward end of the handle portion 20 is similarly rectangular in crosssectional area and terminates in an abrupt'vertical shoulder complemental with the shoulder 10 of the member A;

The top member B has a blade portion 24 which extends forwardly from the handle portion 20, and which has a transversely flat nether surface26 similar to the upper surface of the member A. Cross-sectionally the the blade 24 is similarly shaped .with relation to the blade 12 for most of its length and has a vertical right hand sharpened shearing edge 28, looking from the rear, adapted to slidably pass the cutting edge 16 of the .blade 12 in shearing action, ending forwardly in a dull noncutting edge 29 adjacent its end 32.

The two members A and B are pivotally connected intermediate their ends by a screw or pin 30,'the connection being sufliciently loose to permit slight vertical play between the two members.

The extreme forward end 32 of the top member A is formed into a sharpened tip or point ending just short of the blunt point 14 of the bottom member.

'Thefinger grips 8 and 22 lie in substantially the same plane and meet as at 34 when the members are pivoted to bring the blade portions together in closed over-lapping relation. Longitudinally the blade portion 24 is arcuately curved upwardly, as is best illustrated in Fig. 2, allowing the shearing edges 16 and 28 to slidably pass each other in a single point shearing contact action as the blades are pivoted into closed position. When the blades are closed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, a small space 36 separates the two intermediate the pivot pin 30 and the non-cutting tip ends 14 and 32. When the blades are in closed position the non-cutting tip portions 14 and 32 lie in substantial face to face over-lapping contacting relation. As is best illustrated in'*Fig.3, when theblades are in closed position the two points 14. and /32 ..do not lie insactual vertical alignment, the point 32 residing slightly to the left of the blunt point 14 to form an elongated substantially V-shaped opening 38 between the 'tvvoipoints. Asnseen in Eig. 2, the twopoints 14 and'321are slightly be'nbarcu ately in-an upward direction.

The upper surface of the blade portion 24 has a boss 40 adjacent the sharp point 32,'the -upper surface of which is cupped or recessedand -knur led; as at izy to nest the ball of a persons thumb wherebylthe upper blade 24 may be swung laterally with relation to the bottom blade 12.

The outer or lower surface of the bottom 'blade is provided with a similar recess 43 (Fig. 5 for nesting the tip or forward pottionof a persons finger in co-operation with thethumb, as more 'fully explained hereinbelow. The surface of the recess 43 is preferably knurled, not shown, to prevent slippageofthe-finger with-relation to the blade -12.

-"Operati0n In utilizing the device for drawing seam threads from cloth, the tool is grasped in the righthand in such a manner that the recess-i43 of the bottom blade 12is grasped by the first finger atany point between thetip and the second joint of the forefinger, with the upper surfaces of the blade portions being grasped byuthe little finger, and with the ball of the thumb nested in the recess 42 of the boss 40. In this position the other'fingers naturally fall over the central portion of the uppermember B. Movement of the thumb toward the left hand will act to open the points .14 and 32 laterally. In startingthe thread pulling operation the point 32 is thrust underone of the loops 44 of the seam thread inorder to draw it upwardly from the upper surface of the 'cloth 46 in which it is sewed. The upward curve of the point 32 facilitates its insertion into the l op. The points14 and 32are then swung together, and since the vertical edges 18' and 29 are dull, and since the' pivotal connection between the two members allows slight vertical play the thread is not severed, but instead, it will be forcedtoextend flatly between the .upper surface of the tip '14'and the bottom surface of the point 32. This is best illustrated ;in Fig. 4, wherein the threadis. indicated :by the numeral48. Downward pressure of the thumb acts to 'ffiatten the thread and thusweaken it at :this vpointand hold thesame tightly impinged between the 'two;.blade; points. A quick :upward jerk or pnll:on the thread acts-to pull onezorrmore of the loops 44;from:the.cloth beforethezthread 1's:broken. .The thread willbreak at: its weakened point betweenthe tips 14;and,32,nhus leaving a length-ofithethread projecting above the cloth "which cislthen'. again 2 grasped bylthe tips adjacent :the surface of the cloth. 51f the'threadshould breakradjacent the cloth the starting operation,'as disclosed above, is repeated.

When it is desired touse the tool for cutting the thread or thecloth, the handle grips '8 and22 are grasped by the .fingers and the tool used in a manner conventional with scissors.

Obviously the inventionis susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to beconfined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and'described herein,

further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A thread pulling tool, including: a pair of elongated members pivotally connected loosely intermediate their ends in overlapping relation forming a pair of blades on one side of said pivoting connection, said blades having adjacent flat complemental faces slidably disposed in overlapping relation ending in blunt-edged substantially overlapping non-cutting free tipend portions remote from said pivotal connection; means for moving the non-cutting tip end portions toward and away from each other, said means including a boss on the outwardly disposed surface adjacent the free end of one said blade, said boss having a concave recess in its surface, a concave indentation in the surface of the other said blade oppositely disposed with relation to the recess, said recess and said indentation being dish-shaped and adapted to complementally receive, respectively, the ball of the thumb and tip of the first finger of the operator; a sharpened point of the free-end of said blade projecting beyond said boss; anda blunt'tip on the free endof the other said blade and projecting beyond said sharpened point.

2. A thread ripping tool, including: a pair of elongated members pivotally loosely connected intermediatetheir ends in overlapping relation forming a pair of blades on one side of said pivotal connectionanda-pair of handles on the other side of said pivotal connection,-said blades having adjacent flat complemental faces slidably disposed in overlapping relation and ending =in'blunt substantially overlapping non-cutting free tip-end portions remote'from said pivotal connection for impinging a thread'therebetween, said handles having blunt'parallel-proximal abutting faces for limiting the overlapping closing action of said blades; means for moving the non-cutting tip'end portions toward and'away from each other, said' means including a'boss on the outwardly disposed surface adjacent the free end of one said blade, said'bosshavinga concave recess in its surface, a concave indentation in the surface of the other said blade, said indentation being oppositely disposed with relation'to the "recess in said boss, said recess and said indentation being dish-shaped and adapted'to complementallyreceive,"respectively, the ball of the thumb and the'tip of thefirst'finger'of the operator; a sharpened point on the end of that blade extending beyond said boss; and a'bluntttipon the free end of the other said' blade and projecting'outwardly beyond said sharpened point.

3. Structure as specified in. claim 2, in which said'recess and said indentation have'knurled surfaces adapted to prevent slippage of the users thumband finger-withrelation thereto. I

4. Structure as specified in claim 2, 'in'which said'sharp ened'point'and said blunt end are cowperatinglyarcuately curved toward said boss.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS 27,501 Walcott ..-Mar. 13, 1860 2,038,916 Vorwerk Apr-.28, 1936 2,504,676 Franklin .-Apr."18, 1950 2,706,070 Freeark Apr. 12, 1955 

